Boccioni at the MoMA

Realizing that I've gone food-centric for the past few posts, here's a bit of art for you all! 

The Museum of Modern Art is packed with masterpieces and one of them happens to be, quite possibly, my favorite statue. Umberto Boccioni's 'Unique Forms of Continuity in Space' may not seem familiar, but if you've ever had a 20 cent piece, you've definitely seen this statue before.  MoMA's version is only a copy, but an original one made in 1931, during Boccioni's life. 

Boccioni's statue is a key Futurist work. Futurism was an important movement that developed in the early 20th century and encompassed not only art and architecture, but also music, theater, literature, food and even fashion. Futurism embraced the many changes that were taking place in that specific period, including industrialization and devastating wars. Their inspiration was drawn from dynamic movement, speed and the artists' rapidly evolving Italy. 

'Unique Forms of Continuity in Space' is the perfect example of the Futurists' love of continuous movement and dynamism. The figure of the man is almost secondary to the flowing lines of his body and Boccioni's play on the empty space around the work. In fact, that's the reason why I tried to show you all a 360-degree view of the work.